"For more than 80 years, scientists have known that vitamin D is important for building bones. And for most of those 80 years, people thought this was the only thing it was good for. In the past decade, however, we've learned two important things about vitamin D: it appears to have many other important health effects, and many Americans don't get enough of it. In 2008, new research pointed to a vitamin D deficiency as a possible contributing factor in heart disease. And the suspected link between vitamin D deficiency and cancer grew even stronger. This surely will spur much new research in 2009.

Why is vitamin D deficiency so common? The vitamin is made in our skin when sunlight strikes it. Many Americans-especially those who live in the northern part of the country, are elderly or have dark skin-don't soak up enough sun. And the vitamin isn't found in many foods. The main sources are fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines) and milk, cereal and juices that have been fortified with it. Vitamin D deficiency often is unsuspected because it causes no direct symptoms; like high blood pressure, it does its damage silently."

"DALLAS, Jan. 8 - The same vitamin D deficiency that can result in weak bones now has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Framingham Heart Study researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, above and beyond established cardiovascular risk factors," said Thomas J. Wang, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. "The higher risk associated with vitamin D deficiency was particularly evident among individuals with high blood pressure."

In a study of 1,739 offspring from Framingham Heart Study participants (average age 59, all Caucasian), researchers found that those with blood levels of vitamin D below15 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) had twice the risk of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, heart failure or stroke in the next five years compared to those with higher levels of vitamin D."

"In a prospective study involving 6,937 men and women, higher levels of vitamin D were associated with a significantly lower risk of lung cancer in women and younger participants. During a maximum follow-up of 24 years, 122 cases of lung cancer were identified. After adjusting for potential confounders, higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were associated with reduced risk of lung cancer risk in women (84% reduced risk) and younger participants (66% reduced risk). No association was observed between vitamin D status and lung cancer risk in men and older participants. "

"May 19, 2008 (Orlando, Florida) - A new study shows that a proactive vitamin D treatment plan should be considered when caring for all osteoporosis patients, and that such treatment might help decrease the likelihood of developing vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread among patients being treated for osteoporosis, and such deficiency should be treated aggressively, according to the findings presented here at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 17th Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress."

Now a new and controversial book by an American doctor suggests that taking even higher levels of the vitamin - 10 to 15 times the recommended amounts - can work wonders.

Dr James Dowd, who works at the Arthritis Institute of Michigan, has been prescribing vitamin D to people suffering from chronic disorders such as arthritis, back pain and headaches and the result, he claims, is a huge improvement in their symptoms.

In his book, The Vitamin D Cure, Dr Dowd describes a number of success stories using this approach. One of his patients, Barbara, for instance, was obese, and suffered from arthritis in one leg as well as high blood pressure.

As Dowd explains: "In the past I would have given her anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medication, a pill to lose weight and drug treatment for hypertension."

Comment: Although lower risk associated with vitamin D exposure was shown most consistently for ER+/PR+ tumors, the result might simply reflect that this tumor subtype was the most common. Nonetheless, these findings support vitamin D's beneficial effects on breast cancer risk, regardless of hormone-receptor status. Sun exposure and dietary intake (Table 1) are key sources of vitamin D.

A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral Vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.

Women who are vitamin D deficient when they are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have their disease spread and are more likely to die than women who have adequate vitamin D levels, new Canadian research says.

The study found that women who were vitamin D deficient were 94 per cent more likely to have their cancer metastasize (spread) and 73 per cent more likely to die.

The research was led by Dr. Pamela Goodwin, a breast cancer researcher at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. The study analyzed blood samples and disease outcome from more than 500 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1989 and 1995. Women were followed up for an average of 11 years.

Vitamin D A Key Player In Overall Health Of Several Body Organs, Says Biochemist

In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.

An estimated 50% to 60% of older people have suboptimal vitamin D levels, which is a problem that could affect more than bone health. Recent cross-sectional studies have also shown an association between low vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. In a long-term prospective study from Germany, researchers assessed whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among more than 3000 consecutive patients (mean age, 62) referred for coronary angiography.

Vitamin D protects bone, preserves muscle strength, and regulates cell growth and energy metabolism. It also offers some protection against cancer and other disease, but are these effects really important for health and life expectancy? The answer seems to be a resounding yes.

NaturalNews) Researchers from Oxford University and the University of British Columbia have discovered that Vitamin D deficiency affects a section of the human genome already linked with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk, adding further weight to theories that this vitamin deficiency might play a role in development of the disease.

"Here we show that the main environmental risk candidate -- vitamin D -- and the main gene region are directly linked and interact," said co-author George Ebers.

Scientists have long known that a lack of vitamin D can weaken our bones. A new study shows that low levels of this nutrient may also be linked to a higher chance of dying early from heart and circulation problems, as well as other causes.